Genie-Us

Chapter 12

Chapter 12

I stayed quiet for a long time as I mulled over everything I'd heard. Things connected together in such a way for me that my brain ended up dazzled by it all. My emotions hadn't got grips on things yet, and I needed it to stay that way for a while. An emotional outburst wouldn't do me any good at the moment.

"Having me was a necessity. If I really am Jene's Genie-Us, then you had to have me." I eventually said in the blandest voice.

"Yes," she breathed out in relief, obviously not noting my angst. "The last She-Gen told me that I would be the one to set things to right. In my generation, the human male with whom we could make Jene's Genie-Us would appear. As much as it was all a part of destiny and quite necessary, I don't regret having you. You're my daughter. No other She-Gen has or will have the privilege of bearing a child. This will be something we will remember well down through the generations." She sounded thrilled.

She continued speaking, but something occurred to me that made me want to backpedal. I couldn't be Jene's anybody. The man had scurried away from kissing me as if I had a disease. He wasn't interested in me the way this whole Genie-Us thing should work.

"It can't be me. I think you chose the wrong baby daddy." I interrupted whatever she said, and she looked at me oddly.

"What's given you this impression?" she tilted her head to peer at me closer.

"He moved away from kissing me awfully fast, and then he treated me like I didn't exist." I explained, but that only made her eyes light up.

"He kissed you!" she exclaimed excitedly.

"Yes, but like I said..."

"Isla," she now interrupted me. "You must understand that Jene believes he has had his one chance at love. The stubborn fool refused to listen to any She-Gen about our wrong choice. We told him that it was all of our fault, and that we would find him his true Genie-Us, but he ignored us." She explained with quite a lot of frustration.

"I guess you told him that I'm her, didn't you? It's been why he's acted so aloof and weird." I said with clarity.

"He's known of your existence, and who you are to him since before your birth."

I had an epiphany and clicked my fingers, "the whole argument over Harrison's first wish! You chose dad and me deliberately because it would push us together. He wanted to refuse it because he doesn't believe that I'm his Genie-Us. My whole life is just a series of events where you've shoved Jene and I together, isn't it?" I said with a shake of my head.

"It sounds so manipulative and terrible when you say it like that." She winced.

"I've never felt more like a pawn in my life. You set it up so Harrison finds his lamp, and then you shove us together. I mean I'd say it's cold and cunning, if I didn't find out what the first Isla did to him. Wow, I've never had my life spelled out quite so significantly until now." I let out a whistle.

"I'm sorry, this is just sounding so awful. The thing is, I can't even try to make you feel better about any of it, because it's the truth. You stated exactly what I've done. As bad as I may feel for controlling your life this way, leaving Jene without his Genie-Us is much worse to me. He's had centuries of being alone, Isla. The ten years he had with Isla..."

"She's now known as Evil Isla because I'm nothing like her." I declared.

"Fine, can I continue?"

"Yes."

"His years with her were in no way how a normal Genie-Us couple live. He's never known the joy of a true Genie-Us. I'm hoping that he can have that with you and you with him. This wasn't about controlling your life, I promise. All of these years of planning were to offer you both a chance for immense happiness." She finished talking, but remained uncertain as she looked at me.